ES2214236T3 - TIGHTENING AND FIXING CLAMP FOR TUBE OR ANALOG. - Google Patents

Abstract

Pressure clamp and clamp for a tube or similar (T), which includes: - a socket (1) provided with a cradle (8), coupling means (29, 30) and means (5, 6) for its fixation against a support surface (S), and - an elastically extensible strap (10) having a first end (11) permanently attached to the socket (1), on one side of the cradle (8), by an area of splice (12) forming a hinge and a second end (13) provided with temporary engagement means (18) arranged to cooperate with the corresponding engagement means (29, 30) that equip the socket (1) on the other side of the cradle (8), the hooking means that equip the second end (13) of the strap (10) include two lateral projections (18) and the hooking means of the socket (1) include two lateral hooks (29, 30) open in the direction of the support face (9) of the socket (1) against the support surface (S) and arranged to receive the two lateral projections (18) of the second end mo (13) of the belt (10) after the jump of a recoil point (33, 34) of maximum belt extension (10).

Description

Clamp and clamp for pipe or analogous.

The present invention relates to a clamp of pressure and fixation for a tube or any similar element such as a mallet of electric wires.

Clamps are known for a long time pressure and fixing for tubes or similar, of the type that It includes:

- a socket with means for fixing against a support surface and which has, on the one hand, a support face against this support surface and, on the other hand, on the opposite side of this support face, a reception cradle of the tube, and

- an elastically stretchable strap that has a first end permanently attached to the socket, on one side of the cradle, by an area of junction that forms hinge and a second end provided with temporary engagement means arranged for cooperate with the corresponding coupling means that equip the Socket on the other side of the crib.

In particular, the document is known FR-A-2 597 168, published on 16 October 1987, a clamp of pressure and fixation in which the belt engagement means are constituted by a series of holes while the socket hitch means they consist of a buckle that forms a step for the belt and in which a tooth is disposed to engage with the strap holes. This second hitch mode end of the strap to the socket allows an adjustment of the diameter of the clamp and, therefore, the latter's adaptation to tubes of Different diameters, with a convenient fit. Anyway, the closing and pressure operation of the clamp is quite annoying and needs the use of a tool such as a screwdriver to deform the buckle in order to unhook the tooth of the belt holes with which it has a tendency to get hooked

To remedy this problem, keeping the at the same time a certain adaptability with adjustment of the clamp to small diameter variations of a wire harness electrical, another type of clamp has been proposed, such as the described in documents FR-A-2 551 594 and US 4 235 404. In this type of clamp, the belt has in itself a certain capacity of elastic extension that allows its adaptation to wire mallets of different diameters (in a margin reduced anyway), while the means of temporary hooking of its second end to the socket make a hooking at a certain point without the possibility of fine adjustment or Slack recovery. The adaptation and adjustment of the belt on mallets of different diameters, in a certain range of values, are thus provided by the intrinsic elasticity of the belt.

The object of the invention is to propose a clamp of the latter type, elastically extensible strap and hitch point without slack recovery, at which Temporary coupling means of the second end of the belt to the Socket are more comfortable and safer.

With a view to achieving this goal, it provides according to the invention a pressure and fixing clamp for a tube or similar, which includes:

- a socket with means for fixing against a support surface, and

- an elastically extensible strap that has a first end permanently attached to the socket, on the side of the cradle, by an area of junction that forms hinge and a second end provided with temporary engagement means arranged for cooperate with the corresponding coupling means that equip the socket on the other side of the crib, including the hitch means that equip the second end of the belt with two lateral projections and the socket attachment means two open side hooks in the direction of the support face of the socket and arranged to receive the two lateral projections of the second end of the belt after the jump of a maximum extension recoil point of the belt, clamp in which the lateral projections of the second end of the belt are separated internally by means of a rigid plate that splices with the second end of the belt forming with it, at rest, an angle close to the right angle and which carries on its free end the lateral projections.

Thus a positive coupling of the second is performed end of the strap to the socket, without the possibility of unhooking in the belt tension direction. In addition, the elasticity of the belt tends to keep the lateral projections of the second end of the strap on the hooks of the socket. The release of the belt can be obtained only by exercising, with a gesture necessarily voluntary, an effort on the second end of the strap in the direction of the support face of the socket for release the lateral projections of your grip with the hooks of the socket, against the elasticity of the belt. Is Reliability of the strap hitch to the socket is not obtained, furthermore, to the detriment of the comfort of the hitching operation or of release that are done manually with a quick gesture and intuitive. The fact that the lateral projections of the second end of the belt are thus separated internally by means of a rigid plate makes it easier to get your hitch or your unhook with the hooks of the socket, without conflict with the face of support on which the socket is fixed.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the second end of the belt is provided with a grip tab that has one end attached to the second end of the belt by a zone of junction that forms hinge and other free end This grip tab makes handling easier of the tongue and, in particular, its closure and its opening on the plinth. The use of this clamping tongue is particularly comfortable, even indispensable, in the case, the most frequent, in which the support surface against which the socket is fixed is flat (for example when it is a wall), so that the operator it has only a very limited space between the hooks of the Socket and support surface. This one cannot, therefore, effectively manipulate the second end of the Strap during hitching or unhooking. With the tongue, by on the contrary, it has a supplementary grip that is facing behind the support surface and allowing it to exert comfortably and effectively a tensile stress on the second end of the belt in the direction of this support surface without conflict with this surface.

Advantageously, the clamping tongue can pivot around the hinge junction zone that joins it to the second end of the belt between an active position, in which forms a certain angle with the second end of the belt, and a inactive position, in which it is bent against the belt, ensuring maintenance means a temporary immobilization of the clamping tab in its inactive position. So, in your inactive position, the clamping tongue is completely bent against the belt and does not form any unsightly prominence or annoying In addition, and above all, it is useful not to leave the tongue of grip in active position after belt closure in the extent to which it offers a particularly colorful grip that allows a malicious or irresponsible person, as per example a child, unhook the strap without using any useful. On the contrary, when the clamping tongue is held in inactive position by maintenance means, in support against the strap is confused with the rest of the strap, without attracting the look, and cannot be unhooked with the means of maintenance, because it is not in an active position, more than knowing its function and with the help of a tool such as a screwdriver.

It may be provided, for example, that the means of holding the clamping tongue in its inactive position include a hitch spur arranged in relief on the face outside of the strap to cooperate with an opening arranged in the  grip tab.

Advantageously, the opening arranged in the grip tab is oblong in the longitudinal direction of the belt. The oblong shape of the opening arranged in the tongue allows to take into account the elastic elongation capacity of the belt.

It may be foreseen, then, that the spur of hitch arranged on the strap is T-shaped. Thus, in inactive position, the top bar of the T formed by the ram it rests on the longitudinal edges of the oblong opening of the grip tab for firm and reliable maintenance of the latter whatever the elastic elongation requested of the belt.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the socket, the strap and the hooking means are made of a single piece of plastic material and, between its two ends, the belt has at least one extendable portion elastically formed by a succession of links in the form of eyelet joined two to two, at its midpoint, by bridges. This form of realization of the belt allows to obtain the ability to elastic elongation required for this belt at the same time as uses a sufficiently rigid plastic material so that the socket and hitch means (spurs and hooks) remain non-deformable

Other features and advantages of the invention they will appear with the reading of the description that follows in a way particular embodiment given by way of non-limiting example.

Reference will be made to the attached drawings, in the which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pressure and fixing clamp according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the clamp of figure 1;

- figure 3 is a view analogous to figure 2, illustrating the elastic elongation capacity of the belt the clamp under the effect of a tensile stress exerted on the second end of the belt;

- Figure 4 is a perspective view that illustrates the fixing of the clamp socket by means of a useful nailer in which the tip cooperates with the means corresponding socket;

- Figure 5 is a perspective view that illustrates the installation of a tube over the cradle of the socket and the tight of this tube by the belt, the projections being presented sides of the second end of the belt in the vicinity of the Socket hooks before being hooked with these hooks;

- Figure 6 is a side elevation view according to arrow VI of figure 5;

- Figure 7 is an analogous perspective view to figure 5, which illustrates the closure of the strap with hitch the lateral projections of the second end of the belt with the socket hooks;

- Figure 8 is a side elevation view according to arrow VIII of figure 7;

- Figure 9 is an analogous perspective view to figures 5 and 7, illustrating the bending of the tongue of grip against the belt, in its inactive position;

- Figure 10 is a side elevation view according to arrow X of figure 9.

With reference to the figures, and in particular to Figure 1, a pressure clamp and clamp for tube or similar according to the invention includes a socket 1 that includes two lugs 2, 3 joined at its base by a plate 4. The base of the two lugs 2, 3 and plate 4 have a flat inner face common that constitutes a support face 9 of socket 1 against a support surface S, as will be better explained later.

Socket 1 is, on the other hand, provided with means for fixing on such a support surface S. These fixing means include a hole 6 arranged in the plate 4 for the passage of a nail or a fixing screw. This hole 6 is surrounded by a flange 5 arranged in relief of the face upper plate 4 to stiffen and facilitate fixation as well done.

On the other hand, an inner flange 7 is arranged on the two lugs 2, 3, separated from the plate 4 for cooperate with a corresponding notch of a tip of the nailer C, as illustrated in figure 4.

In front of your support face 9, the socket 1 It has a cradle 8 for receiving a tube. This crib 8 is constituted by a cylindrical face arranged in the upper part of the two lugs 2, 3 along an axis perpendicular to these lugs

The socket 1 has, on the other hand, at its second end opposite its first end, in which the belt 10 is permanently spliced, temporary engagement means intended to cooperate with the engagement means, ie in the specific case , the spurs 18 of the second end 13 of the belt 10 for making a detachable hitch of this second end 13 of the belt 10 to the socket 1. These temporary engagement means of the socket 1 include two side hooks 29, 30 open in the direction of the support face 9 of the socket 1, that is, in the direction of the support surface S, and arranged to receive the two spurs 18 of the plate 16 that equips the second end 13 of the belt 10. In the specific case, the hooks 29, 30 of the socket 1 are constituted by notches arranged as reinforcement of the opposite faces 27, 28, of two legs 25, 26 formed by the protruding portions of the lugs 2, 3 of the
socket 1.

These notches 29, 30 are delimited by an outer arm 31, 32 having an end or recoil point 33, 34 that must be skipped by spurs 18 to allow hooking or unhooking these spurs with notches 29, 30. In the specific case, the recoil points 33, 34 are located at a distance from the support face 9 of the socket 1, by consequently of the support surface S, which is equal to ram diameter 18 increased in one set included between 1 and 3 mm and preferably 2 mm. Thus, in the case where Rams 18 have a diameter of 2 mm, the recoil points 33, 34 of the notches 29,30 will be located at a distance of the support face 9 of the socket 1 of about 4 mm.

The clamp includes, on the other hand, a strap 10 which has a first end 11 connected to socket 1 by an area of splice 12 of small thickness that forms hinge, and a second end 13 which is provided with means of temporary engagement with a second end of socket 1, as will be better explained later.

Between these two ends 11 and 13, the belt 10 it is formed by a succession of links 14 in the form of eyelets joined two by two, by its midpoint, by bridges 15. Belt 10 it is thus elastically extensible by elastic deformation of the links 14 that lengthen under the effect of an effort of traction exerted on the second end 13 of the belt (being fixed the socket 1), as illustrated in figure 3.

It will be noted that this link formation deformable belt 10 allows to make this belt in one piece of plastic material made by molding with socket 1, as is the case in the example illustrated by the figures. Indeed, during the elastic extension of the belt, the material that the constitutes deforms only in flexion and is not required elongation capacity of this material. Belt 10 It can, therefore, be made of a classic plastic material relatively rigid that, in areas of small curvature thickness of links 14, is elastically flexible and allows, thus, the elastic elongation of the belt 10 and that, in the zones thicker and / or with the reinforced structure such as socket 1, stay stiff

The coupling means that equip the second end 13 of the belt 10 includes a rigid plate 16 that is splices the second end 13 of the belt 10 through an area of small thick joint forming hinge 17, forming, in rest, with this end of the belt 10, an angle close to the right angle. This plate 16 is provided at its free end of two lateral projections or spurs 18 extending in opposite directions from each other along a common axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the belt and, by consequently, parallel to the axis of the cradle 8 of the socket 1.

The second end 13 of the belt 10 is also provided with a clamping tongue 20 that extends in the longitudinal extension of the belt 10 and having an end joined to the plate 16 by a splice area of small thickness that form hinge 21, and another end that is free. This tongue of clamping 20 can thus pivot around the hinge zone 21 between an active position in which it forms a certain angle (such as it is represented in figures 7 and 8) with the second end 13 of the belt 10 and an inactive position in which it is bent against the belt 10 (as depicted in figures 9 and 10). The means of maintenance ensure a temporary immobilization of the tongue of hold 20 in its inactive position. These means of maintenance include a 24-shaped T-shaped buckle arranged in relief from the outer face of the belt 10, on the bridge 15 that joins the two last links 14 of the belt 10 ahead of its second end 13, and intended to be hooked in an opening corresponding 22 arranged in the locking tab 20. The opening 22 of the clamping tongue 20 is oblong in the longitudinal direction of the tongue 20 (which is the same as that of the belt 10).

The use of the clamp that has just been described is developed as follows.

According to figure 4, socket 1 is placed in support against a support surface S (as per example the surface of a wall), with its support face 9 attached against this support surface S. A nailing tool or nailer C, of which only the tip is represented here, is used for perform quick nailing of socket 1 on the surface of support S. For this purpose, the tip end of the nailer C is between the lugs 2, 3 of the socket 1 in support against the face upper flange 5, a notch E arranged at the end of the tip of the nailer C that receives the inner flanges 7 of the socket 1 so as to facilitate immobilization in position desired of the tip of the nailer C. The nailer C is driven to then to project a nail (not represented in the figures) through hole 6 of plate 4 of socket 1, penetrating the tip of this nail (or similar) into the support (of the which only surface S is represented here) and the head of this nail rests on the upper face of the flange 5 arranged on the plate 4 of the socket 1. The socket 1 is thus fixed conveniently on the support surface S.

Anyway, fixing the socket 1 on the support surface S is not necessarily made with a tool of nailing C. You can also proceed to a fixation conventional by screw or by threaded pin, the 6 threaded hole.

Referring now to figure 5, a tube T is installed on cradle 8 of socket 1 following the direction of the axis of this cradle, that is, transversely to the belt 10. The belt 10 is then folded over the tube T so that the wrapping of the same is done, its second end 13 coming to the proximity of the coupling means of the socket 1.

The clamping tongue 20 is separated from the Hebijón 24 and placed in active position. Form then how represents in figures 5 and 6, an angle of about 120º with the strap 10. It is then held, for example between the thumb and the index, by the operator, the thumb coming in contact with a striated surface 23 arranged on one side of this tongue To avoid any slippage. Thanks to this grip, the operator can, without being disturbed by the support surface S on which the socket 1 is fixed, exercise on the second end 13 of the belt 10 a tensile stress in the direction of this support surface S so that it carries the spurs 18 beyond the recoil points 33, 34 of the notches 29, 30 of the socket 1. By skipping these recoil points, the operator he can loosen the tensile stress he exerted on the second end 13 of the belt 10 by means of the tongue of grip 20 to allow, under the effect of the elasticity of the belt 10 the recoil of the spurs 18 in the notches 29, 30 of socket 1. Rams 18 are thus kept hooked on the notches 29, 30, butt against the bottom of these notches, under the effect of permanent tensile stress exerted by the elasticity of the belt 10. In the case where that a tearing effort is exerted on the tube T, this effort further increases the tension of the belt 10 and has no for that reason another effect more than sticking the spurs 18 further on the bottom of the notches 29, 30 of the socket 1. This strap closure configuration 10 is illustrated in the figures 7 and 8. In this configuration, the opening of the belt 10 cannot obtained more than voluntarily using the tongue of grip 20 to exert on the second end 13 of the belt 10 a tensile effort tending to approximate the spurs 18 to the support surface S against the elasticity of the belt 10 and so that it makes these spurs jump the points of recoil 33, 34 and thus causing the release of these spurs of its grip with notches 29, 30.

As illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, the grip tab 20 is then folded (as illustrated by the arrow in figure 8) forced by the operator to cross the opening 22 of such luck that the upper bar of the T that forms it is held with the tongue at the longitudinal edge of the oblong opening 22 for firm and reliable maintenance of tab 20 in inactive position. It will be noted that the oblong shape of the opening 22 of the tongue 20 allows to take into account the elongation of the belt 10 between the buckle 24 and the second end 13 of this belt, that is, in the specific case the elongation of the last link 14 of this belt.

It will be finally noted that the ability to elastic elongation of the belt 10, not only allows the use of the same clamp with a strap of given length for tubes or the like of different diameters comprised in a certain margin of values, but also confers on the clamp a self-pressure capacity of the tube which, in combination with the jump hitch means of an extension recoil point maximum belt, allows firm, fast and fast pressure Reliable tube over the socket.

The invention is not limited to the mode of realization that has just been described, but encompasses the on the contrary any variant that recovers, with equivalent means, its essential characteristics, such as those defined by following claims.

Claims (8)

1. Pressure clamp and clamp for a tube or similar (T), which includes: - a socket (1) provided with a cradle (8), of hooking means (29, 30) and means (5, 6) for fixing against a support surface (S), and - an elastically extensible strap (10) that it has a first end (11) permanently attached to the socket (1), of one side of the cradle (8), by a junction zone (12) that forms hinge and a second end (13) provided with coupling means temporary (18) willing to cooperate with the hitching means corresponding (29, 30) that equip the socket (1) on the other side of the cradle (8), the hooking means that equip the second end (13) of the belt (10) include two lateral projections (18) and the socket attachment means (1) include two side hooks (29, 30) open in the direction of the support face (9) of the socket  (1) against the support surface (S) and arranged to receive the two lateral projections (18) of the second end (13) of the belt (10) after the jump of a recoil point (33, 34) of maximum belt extension (10), characterized in that the lateral projections (18) of the second end (13) of the belt (10) are internally separated by means of a rigid plate (16) that splices on the second end (13) of the belt (10) forming, at rest, with it an angle close to the right angle and which carries on its free end the lateral projections (18). 2. Clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the hooks (29, 30) of the socket (1) are constituted by notches arranged as reinforcement of the faces (27, 28) in front of two projections (25, 26) of the socket . 3. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second end (13) of the belt (10) is provided with a clamping tongue (20) having an end attached to the second end (13) of the belt (10 ) by a junction zone (17) that forms hinge and another free end. 4. Clamp according to claim 3, characterized in that the clamping tongue (20) can pivot around the hinge junction zone (17) that joins it to the second end (13) of the belt (10) between an active position in the which forms a certain angle with the second end of the belt and an inactive position in which it is bent against the belt, ensuring maintenance means (22, 24) a temporary immobilization of the clamping tongue (20) in its inactive position . 5. Clamp according to claim 4, characterized in that the means of holding the clamping tongue in its inactive position include a buckle (24) arranged in relief from the outer face of the belt (10) to cooperate with an opening (22) arranged in the clamping tongue (20). 6. Clamp according to claim 5, characterized in that the opening (22) disposed in the clamping tongue (20) is oblong in the longitudinal direction of the belt (10). 7. Clamp according to claim 6, characterized in that the maintenance strap (24) disposed on the belt (10) is T-shaped. 8. Clamp according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the socket (1), the belt (10) and the coupling means (18, 29, 30) are made of a single piece of plastic material and because, between their two ends, the belt (10) has at least an elastically extensible portion formed by a succession of eye-shaped links (14) joined two by two, in its midpoint, by bridges (15).